If you spent money in the UK between 1992 and 2008, you could be owed up to £70 – even if you never used or had a Mastercard.
After a long legal battle, Mastercard has been ordered to compensate millions of shoppers for charging unfair fees years ago.
The fees were originally paid by shops when people used their cards, but those extra costs were quietly passed on to customers through higher prices.
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Now, we could finally get some of that money back.
Who can claim?
You could be entitled to a payout if:
- You lived in England, Wales or Northern Ireland for at least three months between June 1997 and June 2008, or
- You lived in Scotland between May 1992 and 2008, and
- You bought things from UK shops that accepted Mastercard.
It doesn’t matter if you used a Mastercard or even had one at the time.
How much could you get?
A total of £100 million has been set aside to pay out claims.
If around 5% of the 46 million eligible people claim, each person will get £45.
But if fewer people come forward, the payout could go up to £70 per person.
There’s also a deadline. You need to put in a claim before the end of the year, 2025.
How to claim
Details of how to register and fill in the online form are expected soon.
You can likely claim through https://mastercardconsumerclaim.co.uk/ but no details have been released yet (we expect them in the coming weeks).
The claim is being led by Walter Merricks, a former financial ombudsman, who said this payout is a “fair and just outcome” for UK shoppers.
Why is this happening?
Back in 2007, the European Commission found Mastercard had broken competition law by charging high fees to retailers between 1992 and 2008.
Although these fees weren’t paid directly by shoppers, they led to prices being higher in shops, so consumers lost out.
Now, some of that money is being handed back.
Don’t miss your chance
This is one of the biggest consumer compensation cases ever seen in the UK.
As soon as the claim window is open, it won’t take long, and you could claim back money that’s rightfully yours.
We’ll update Skint Dad readers as soon as the claim website goes live.
Read next:
Credit and Debit Cards – Do You Actually Know the Difference?
Using a Credit Card The Right Way
Ultimate list of free money offers – worth over £500
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